Justin Hill Alaska Field Coordinator

How long have you been with PFS and what is your current role?

I started in 2022 and I am an Alaska Field Coordinator.

What does a typical day look like in your job?

Every day is a little different, but a typical day could be: A morning meeting with researchers and PMs to discuss what gear needed for doing their fieldwork, then spending the afternoon prepping that gear for them. I could also be helping with truck orientations, restocking supplies, doing safety inspections, or expediting materials for FEMC.

What do you enjoy most about your work here?

I love that every day is different and a new challenge for us. Now that I have been here a few years, its exciting to see all the familiar faces that come to Alaska to do fieldwork every season. Arctic science is a pretty small world and Polar Field is a big part of it.

What experience or education got you involved with PFS?

I worked for a season at Toolik as a scientist in 2019 when I first heard about PFS. A few years later I was looking to make a switch away from my career as a fisheries and wildlife biologist and saw an open field coordinator job. I have been here ever since!

Do you have a favorite memory or project from your time with PFS? If so, can you tell us about it?

I've been lucky enough to visit quite a few villages in Alaska while working for PFS. My favorite is Chevak which is located in the heart of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. I have enjoyed many boat rides out to set up research camps on remote rivers out there. I am always awestruck to see the thousands of migratory birds that nest there every summer. The YK Delta has one of the highest densities of nesting waterfowl on earth! It was also fun to learn the Cup'ik people's words for the various plants and animals that thrive there, and how each one is utilized in their subsistence way of life.